Heavy metals like copper and lead are big troublemakers in wastewater. They can cause serious health issues and environmental damage. So, scientists are always looking for better ways to remove these nasty pollutants. One promising method is called capacitive deionization (CDI). This process uses sp
Austria has been keeping a close eye on the remnants of COVID-19. The country has been using wastewater data to estimate the number of infections after the pandemic. This approach is not new. Wastewater has been used to track other diseases in the past. It is a clever way to monitor the spread o
Psychotropic drugs are everywhere. They're among the most commonly prescribed medicines worldwide. These drugs can have serious effects on the environment. They can hurt other organisms even in tiny amounts. But what happens to these drugs when they go down the drain? Not much, it turns out.
Microplastics, tiny particles smaller than 1 mm, are everywhere. They come from factories making plastic and from bigger plastic waste breaking down over time. These tiny bits of plastic behave differently in the environment because of their small size and unique surface chemistry. Think of it like
Jon Stewart, the celebrated host of "Daily Show" as he was introducing the news about the President and his recent moves on the US constitution. "It looks like we're seeing what a monarchy would be like. A complete change from what we've been used to for about 250 years? " Stewart asked while still
In a surprising turn, two comedians, Oliver and Stewart, were discussing the US Government. John Oliver criticized the government for its slow pace and decided to welcome the president to their monarchy era. Oliver was very happy about the thought of a presidency. They went on and on about how the
The world's water treatment plants churn out a mountain of sewage sludge every day. This stuff is a hassle to manage and dispose of safely because it's messy and expensive. The sun is powerful. A lot of people have been thinking about using it to dry out this sludge. This is the process of using
In some counties of northeast Ohio, there's a clear sign that flu season is in full swing. Health watchers detected influenza fragments in wastewater samples. The counties affected are Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, and Lorain. This is a big deal because wastewater monitoring can predict a surge in flu cases
Imagine a giant magnet helping to clean wastewater from farms. A team of scientists crafted a clever system using magnets to tackle a big problem: wastewater loaded with antibiotics. The system they designed, called the MC-IFAS, uses magnets to boost the cleaning power of tiny living things in the w
Imagine you're following the story of antibiotic resistance genes as they travel through a wastewater treatment plant. These genes, both inside (intracellular) and outside (extracellular) of bacteria, have different fates. When wastewater arrives at the plant, it carries a mix of these genes. Some a
